About This Event

Join us to celebrate Swami Vishnudevananda’s life! We will commemorate the day our Guru left his body (November 9th) and water burial (November 11th) with puja (special ceremony), stories, films, and more.

Swami Vishnudevananda was born on 31st December in Kerala, India. Swami Vishnudevananda was a disciple of Swami Sivananda. His first meeting with Swami Sivananda is a story that is both inspiring and explains to us the true meaning of humility. When Swami Vishnu was in the army, he coincidentally found interest in the teachings of Swami Sivananda through a copy of Sadhana Tattwa (Spiritual Instructions). Its introduction read, “An ounce of practice is worth tons of theory. Practice yoga, religion and philosophy in daily life and attain Self Realization”.

Impressed by the simplicity and directness of the words, he took a few days leave from the army and travelled to Rishikesh to meet the author and the meeting, taking place on the stairs of the ashram leading to the Ganges, would change his life. Swami Sivananda was walking up the stairs and according to the custom, people were prostrating. The young army officer did not want to bow his head to anyone and hid in a doorway out of sight. A moment later, Swami Sivananda appeared unexpectedly, and prostrated to the arrogant young man. This lesson in humility was the first given to Swami Vishnudevananda by his Guru.

Registration Information

The course tuition (listed above) is for the whole program. Your accommodation rate includes meals, Satsangs, and Hatha yoga classes which are offered daily.

Schedule

Thursday

2:00pm onwards Check-in

4:00pm Hatha Yoga Class

6:00pm Dinner

8:00pm Satsang* Movie: “In the Name of Peace”

10:30pm Lights Out

Friday

5:30am Wake up Bell

6:00am Guru Puja (Hindu ceremony)

8:00am Hatha Yoga Class

10:00am Brunch

10:45am Karma Yoga

12:00pm Optional Activity or Free Time (coaching class, walk or other activity)

2:00pm Workshop

4:00pm Hatha Yoga Class

6:00pm Dinner

8:00pm Satsang* Subject: Guru Bhakti & Meditation

10:30pm Lights Out

Saturday

5:30am Wake up Bell

6:00am Satsang* Subject: Swami Vishnudevananda as a Teacher

8:00am Hatha Yoga Class

10:00am Brunch

10:45am Karma Yoga

12:00pm Optional Activity or Free Time (coaching class, walk or other activity)

Swami Vishnudevananda entered the Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh in 1947 at the age of twenty. He took Sannyas and was appointed the first professor of Hatha yoga at the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Forest Academy, and eventually trained scores of Indian and western students. At the same time he continued his own practice, mastering advanced Hatha yoga techniques. When asked how he perfected these ancient practices, some of which had become obscure in modern times, Swami Vishnudevananda answered, “My master touched me and opened my eye of intuition. All this knowledge returned to me from past lives”. For ten years, he lived and worked under the direct guidance of his master.

One day in 1957 Swami Sivananda placed a symbolic 10 rupees in Swami Vishnudevananda’s palm and instructed him to bring the ancient teachings of yoga (Vedanta) to the West. He said “People are waiting” and thus with the blessings of his Master, he founded the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers and Ashrams. He established the Sivananda Yoga Teachers’ Training Course, one of the first yoga teacher training programs in the West, and is the author of the bestselling The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga, as well as Meditation and Mantras, which have established him as an authority on Hatha and Raja Yoga.

Swami Vishnudevananda condensed the teachings of classical yoga into five principles: Proper Exercise, Proper Breathing, Proper Relaxation, Proper Diet (vegetarian), and Meditation and Positive Thinking. Swami Vishnudevananda was a tireless peace activist and conducted several peace flights over the world’s trouble spots, including over then-divided Berlin.

Swami Vishnudevananda attained Mahasamdhi on November 9th, 1993. Mahasamadhi is the final stage of a realised yogis Sadhana (Spiritual Practice) where they consciously leave their physical body. During this stage of their practice, the Yogis expire and this occurs only once in a lifetime when all the mortal karma has been burnt and fulfilled. The Yogi thus attains full enlightenment and becomes one with the supreme being or Brahman. On November 11th, 1993 Swami Vishnudevananda’s body was placed into the River Ganges, merging the body with the holy river. This rite is called Jalasamdhi.

Arrival & Departure Information

• Thursday – 2:00pm

• Saturday – 12:00pm (room checkout)

Planning to arrive and depart here by bus? See more information.

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About the
Venue and Teacher

The Sivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch was founded in 1974 by Swami Vishnudevananda of southern India, for the practice of Yoga and the study of Vedanta. It is nestled in the beautiful rolling Catskill Mountains, just 100 miles outside New York City. It is an ashram within the international Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers, one of the largest Yoga organizations in the world. Swami Vishnu’s vision is still very much alive today and the organization he founded in 1969 has trained more than 30,000 Yoga teachers to date.Deeply-rooted in classical Yoga and Vedanta, and secluded in the natural Catskill beauty, the Yoga Ranch is a peaceful haven to relax, rejuvenate, and explore the depths of spirit.

Our Senior staff are TTC graduates who have dedicated their life to yoga practice and teaching. They teach regularly at Sivananda Yoga Centers and Ashrams in various locations around the world. They are a wealth of knowledge eager to share their wisdom and guide you to a deeper practice.

Thank you!

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